Big Cheese Saputo sues Canadian media
p2pnet news | Freedom:- Montreal’s Saputo, Canada’s largest cheese-making company, and chairman, Emanuele ‘Lino’ Saputo, are suing three Canadian and one Italian publication for allegedly “falsely associating them with organized crime”.
Sued are Globe and Mail publisher CTVGlobemedia, Quebecor, owner of the Sun Media group of papers, and Gesca, owner of Montreal’s La Presse newspaper.
“The newspaper articles contained false allegations about Mr. Lino Saputo and Saputo Inc. and we will not tolerate the dissemination of false and misleading information which is harmful to our name, reputation and business interests,” states company CEO Lino Saputo Jr.
A defamation suit has also been launched in Italy against Italian weekly L`Espresso and its journalists naming articles published on November 22, 2007, says Saputo, going on, “Contrary to what the Canadian newspapers suggested, the legal proceedings commenced in Italy have confirmed to date that:
- Lino Saputo is not and has never been under investigation by the Italian police and has never been named in the complaints record of the Italian authorities.
- A certain Mariano Turrisi, the person against whom legal proceedings are directed in Italy, has admitted using the name Saputo in order to imply that the corporations under his control, Made in Italy Spa and Made in Italy Inc., would be acquired by Lino Saputo.
- Turrisi does not know Lino Saputo, has never met him and has never done business with him.
- Lino Saputo has never spoken with Turrisi.
- The investigation is not about money laundering but about a fraud involving Turrisi.
The suits filed in Canada state:
- Lino Saputo is not and has never been under investigation by the Italian police and has never been named in the complaints record of the Italian authorities.
- Lino Saputo has never had any link with the Italian or Sicilian mafia or with any other criminal organization.
- Lino Saputo has never had any links with Vito Rizzuto.
- Lino Saputo has never had any links with Mariano Turrisi.
- Lino Saputo has never taken part in any money-laundering operation or other illegal scheme of any nature whatsoever.
- Lino Saputo never took part directly or indirectly in the creation of the businesses Made in Italy Spa and Made in Italy Inc.
- Lino Saputo holds no interest directly or indirectly in the businesses Made in Italy Spa and Made in Italy Inc.
- Lino Saputo holds no interest directly or indirectly in Saputo Enterprise Corporation.
Adds Saputo:
“In addition, the proceedings filed against certain Canadian newspapers and their journalists are blaming them for having acted recklessly and in bad faith by publishing information they knew or ought to have known false and slanderous, in order to mar the reputation of Mr. Saputo and Saputo Inc., more specifically by falsely associating them with organized crime.”
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Also See:
Saputo – Saputo Inc. commences legal proceedings against certain Canadian newspapers, March 10, 2008
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